A joint press conference of representatives of FC Zenit and the Swedish construction company was held today in the “St. Petersburg” room in Corinthia Nevskij Palace hotel. At the end of the meeting the two sides signed a partnership agreement through the end of 2014.

The press conference was opened by NCC General Director Juuso Hietanen, who spoke about how his company will help develop youth football in St. Petersburg now that his company is a partner of Zenit.— It`s a real honor for us to be here with Zenit, — started Juuso Hietanen. — Zenit is not only a symbol of St. Petersburg, it`s also a reflection of new tendencies of closer cooperation with the European community. We`re happy to be closer to the residents of St. Petersburg and Zenit fans. NCC is a socially responsible company, and thus we support children`s football in all countries where we operate.

Being a partner of Zenit, NCC will take part in constructing a domed stadium at Zenit`s practice facility in Udelny Park. Juuso noted that both Zenit`s main side and its youth side will practice in the new stadium, and that NCC and Zenit aren`t just partners, but neighbors as well.— Every time I go to Finland or Sweden I have to give a full report about how things are going in Zenit, — noted Hietanen. — We`re quite optimistic about the future, and hope that Zenit will show excellent results.

Zenit`s commercial director, Dmitry Mankin, told about some details of the partnership in turn.— Zenit Football Club has always been very responsible about choosing its partners, — explains Dmitry Mankin. — We`re sure that NCC is a reliable partner. The company is very well-known in Scandinavia, and is one of the largest players on the construction market. Our partnership is mainly a marketing one, but we also have one joint project — building a domed stadium at the club`s practice facility. NCC is an excellent builder and can be proud of its work. From the point of view of club policy, NСС is another step at developing partnerships: a European company which shows that the FC Zenit brand is becoming popular in Europe.

The domed stadium will be ready for use already this year, before the beginning of the winter season, so that the team can practice in favorable conditions in winter. Furthermore, the Swedish group plans to provide discounts to club players, and, in the future — to Zenit fans as well. As the press conference participants underlined, joint programs for Zenit fans will be announced in the very near future.